Demons return to mats, host La Junta

By: John Zetmeir

Dodge City High School head wrestling coach Lars Lueders breaks every season up into parts.

The early part of the season, which the Red Demons call the “preseason,” is about creating a positive atmosphere and building a team bond. As the next phase takes place, the Dodge City wrestlers work mostly on technique and improvement.

As the regional and state tournaments approach, the Red Demons transition from the technical phase of wrestling and shift their focus on aggressiveness and mental toughness.

Last week’s dual in Garden City took place in the middle of a transition period for the Red Demons. It was a dual that was originally scheduled for early January but was postponed twice do to weather.

Dodge City fell to their Western Athletic Conference rivals 57-10.

“It showed our kids that they need to be more aggressive and that they needed to be tougher,” Lueders said about the loss at Garden City. “So I think that has really helped us transition into the next phase.”

The Red Demons lost five matches by decision by 14 combined points, three of which were decided by two points or less against Garden City, the four-time defending 6A champions.

When Dodge City hosts La Junta, Colorado for a dual on Thursday evening, Lueders wants to see the Red Demons finish matches better than they did a week ago.

“At Garden a lot of matches were close matches that we ended up losing at the end or getting pinned,” Lueders said. “If they can come out aggressive, come out hard and wrestle a full match while still doing the same things they were doing at Newton, I think that will be a great step in a positive direction.”

The weekend before the dual in Garden City, the Red Demons took third place at the Newton Tournament of Champions.

Following Thursday’s dual, the Red Demons will travel back over to Garden City for the Rocky Welton Invitational where they are one of 15 ranked teams in the field. Dodge City took sixth last season.

Demon wrestlers handle Hays

By: John Zetmeir

In their second Western Athletic Conference dual of the season, the Dodge City High School wrestling team cruised to a 40-21 win over Hays.

The Indians won five matches total but two of those five wins came by forfeit. Tuesday’s dual was the first part in what will be a busy week for the Red Demons.

“We really preached consistency this week,” Dodge City head coach Lars Lueders said. “I feel like they stepped up to the challenge on the first event and really grinding out matches and finished strong. Overall with how we wrestled, I was pleased.”

With a tough tournament ahead of them in Newton this weekend and a dual with Garden City scheduled for next Tuesday, a portion of Dodge City’s lineup moved up a weight class against Hays.

Lueders credited freshman Garrett Edwards for allowing the Red Demons to make the change comfortably. Edwards won his first varsity dual match of the season by major decision over Hays’ Tadin Finn.

“That was part of the reason that we were able to bump people up,” Lueders said. “We are confident that he can go in there and wrestle hard, do what he needs to do for the team and we were really pleased with how he wrestled.”

Dodge City is taking a state tournament mindset to Newton this weekend as the Red Demons prepare for one of the toughest tournaments in the state.

“Newton is a lot like the state tournament,” Lueders said. “This will give us a preview of what the state tournament will look like and most importantly will help our kids prepare for the state tournament and stay calm in the postseason environment.”

In this week’s Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association rankings, Dodge City moved up to the No. 4 team in 6A.

Six Red Demons found themselves ranked in their respective weight class. Senior Devon Plaza currently sits in the top spot at 132-pounds while Tyler Garcia (145) and Dylan Servis (182) are ranked second. Couy Weil (113), Ansony Quezada (195) and Marcos Fisher (220) round out the ranked Red Demons.

HAYS DUAL RESULTS

106- Karlin (Hays) win by forfeit

113 – Weil (DC) maj. dec. over Bender (Hays)

120 – Escobedo (DC) fall over Hale (Hays)

126 – Edwards (DC) maj. dec. over Flinn (Hays)

132 – Griego (DC) maj. dec. over Vajnar (Hays)

138 – Plaza (DC) maj. dec. over Casper (Hays)

145 – Meyers (Hays) 6-0 dec. over Clark (DC)

152 – Garcia (DC) 5-2 dec. over Vajnar (Hays)

160 – Dandurand (Hays) 7-4 dec. over Moon (DC)

170 – Voth (Hays) 7-2 dec. over Pipenger (DC)

182 – Servis (DC) fall over Springer (Hays)

195 – Quezada (DC) 7-5 dec. over Dorzweiler (Hays)

220- Fisher (DC) fall over Vanpelt (Hays)

285 – Schultz (Hays) win by forfeit

Demons win team title in Maize

By: John Zetmeir

The Dodge City High School wrestling team had to wait two days longer than expected to start the 2017 portion of their schedule.

After last Thursday’s dual at Garden City was postponed due to inclement weather, the Red Demons got back on the mat Saturday at the Maize Invitational. The winter break and extra two-day layoff did not appear to slow Dodge City down as it took first place with a team score of 261.5 on Saturday. Dodge City, the No. 6 ranked team in 6A, edged out Pratt the No. 5 ranked team in 4A.

“It was a great tournament and it’s where we should be in the progression of things and we’re lining up great for the end of the year,” Dodge City head coach Lars Lueders said. “The kids did well, they wrestled hard, we saw a lot of improvement.”

Seniors Devon Plaza, Tylor Garcia and Dylan Servis all took first place in their respective weight classes while four other Red Demons placed second.

“What I liked the most is, whether (individuals) won the tournament or they didn’t, they were asking questions on what can they do better and how can they do a certain move better,” Lueders said. “So they are still in the learning mindset and that’s the most important thing.”

Last week’s cancellation has created some reshuffling in the Red Demons’ schedule. The Dodge City, Garden City dual has been rescheduled for Jan. 17.

“It’s not ideal because we have our schedule exactly how we want it,” Lueders said. “We feel like it’s perfect in the way that it peaks them for the regional and state tournament but that’s part of life.”

The Red Demons will travel to Hays on Tuesday afternoon for their second Western Athletic Conference dual of the season.

MAIZE INVITATIONAL RESULTS

106 – Chad Nichols (0-4) placed 5th.

113 – Couy Weil (18-3) placed 2nd.

120 – Kenedy Escobedo (17-4) placed 2nd.

126 – Devon Griego (10-8) placed 3rd.

132 – Devon Plaza (13-0) placed 1st.

138 – Collin Clark (7-15) placed 8th.

145 – Tylor Garcia (21-2) placed 1st.

152 – Preston Moon (11-11) placed 3rd.

160 – Jonathan Ayala(0-3) placed 6th.

170 – Tyler Pipenger (8-8) placed 6th.

182 – Dylan Servis (20-2) placed 1st.

195 – Ansony Quezada (17-4) placed 2nd.

220 – Marcos Fisher (14-6) placed 2nd.

By: John Zetmeir

The Dodge City High School wrestling team recovered from a slow start in their dual with Great Bend on Thursday to pull out a 39-33 win.

The Panthers took an early 12-0 lead courtesy of back-to-back pins to start the dual before Dodge City won six of the next eight matches. Those two losses were both open slots that the Red Demons’ did not fill in their lineup.

Overall, Dodge City head coach Lars Lueders was pleased with his team’s performance in their first of three home duals this season.

“We’re really trying to make sure that they’re consistent and that they are the same every time,” Lueders said. “It’s better than it has been in the past but you could tell that our kids got really nervous and you could tell that they were amped up with the crowd, that’s natural.”

In what turned into the match of the night, Dodge City senior Kenedy Escobedo toughed out an 11-8 decision win over Great Bend’s Eric Vazquez.

“Holy smokes that was amazing,” Lueders said. “That was one of the coolest matches that I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Escobedo (11-2) and Vazquez battled back and forth for all three periods, each nearly pinning the other two different times. The Dodge City senior trailed 6-4 before stringing together an escape, take down and near fall on his way to the win.

“(Vasquez) was good,” Escobedo said. “He got me in the first period, I just decided not to give up.”

Dodge City’s Dylan Servis, Ansony Quezada and Marcos Fisher all won by fall. Sophomore Couy Weil and senior Devon Plaza won by technical fall. Plaza, last year’s 6A 126-pound state champion, is 8-0 this season.

In the final match of the night, senior Tylor Garcia improved his record to 13-1 by defeating Great Bend freshman Gage Fritz with an 8-2 decision.

By: John Zetmeir

The Dodge City High School wrestling team lost just one dual all of last season in a head to head format.

The Red Demons fell to Great Bend 32-30 after the Panthers won the last four matches of the dual. Dodge City head coach Lars Lueders called the loss a wake up call for the team. It was a loss that stuck with the team throughout the rest of the season.

‘I think it was a wake up call last year during the season but I think it was also a wake up call going into this year to really have a mindset of not being complacent or not looking over people,’ Lueders said. ‘Especially, not just thinking about the results.

‘Last year happened because we were thinking that we were going to win and that’s good enough. When really the result shouldn’t be all you’re thinking about, it rather should be how you approach the match and how you wrestle. Win or lose, you should wrestle the same every dual.’

Last season’s dual with Great Bend was ultimately decide in the final match of

the night between Dodge City’s Tylor Garcia and his opponent. Garcia’s loss cemented the win for the Panthers.

It was a loss that the two-time state place winner remembers.

‘There was a lot of pressure on me,’ Garcia said. ‘I think I just got a little afraid that if I shot that I would get in a bad position. So I think all I need to do this year is just wrestle the way I wrestle and hopefully I come out on top.’ The Red Demons will host Great Bend on Thursday night in their first of three home duals of the season.

While it is Dodge City, not Great Bend, that enters the dual as a ranked team, the Red Demons won’t be overlooking the Panthers. Not only because of what happened last season but because Dodge City has beaten Great Bend in a dual only once during Lueders’ tenure as head coach.

‘Two years ago when we had Great Bend at home it was a super exciting dual,’ Lueders said. ‘We ended up winning big but our crowd was huge, the atmosphere was great and it was really fun. So having Great Bend first is a great first dual to have.’

The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Dodge City High School.